Patent Application
20080083121
Not applicable.
This invention relates to a tool assembly for use in cutting and forming various material. More specifically, the invention relates to an assembly to enable a child to cut different types of material and recesses the cutting tip when the tool is not in use.
Safety scissors are commonly used by children for cutting different types of material. Safety scissors, however, are difficult for children to effectively cut designs. Thus they may be frustrating for a child to use, especially a young child.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a tool assembly that cuts and forms many types of material while remaining easy to use. The tool assembly has a drive assembly and a shaft assembly contained within a housing. The housing may be of various shapes and configurations, and the drive shaft contains a tip that protrudes in its outermost position from an opening in a lower portion of the housing. The drive assembly is operably configured such that the tip is recessed within the housing when the motor of the drive assembly is disengaged.
Additional advantages, and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in a description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
In the accompanying drawings which form a part of the specification and which are to be read in conjunction therewith, and in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views:
Referring to the drawings in greater detail and initially to
The housing 12 may be of various shapes and sizes as will be discussed hereinafter. Tool housing 12 includes a pair of opposed channels 13 that extend longitudinally for a span and serve as guide tracks for a portion of the drive assembly as will be described in greater detail hereinafter. The lower portion of the housing 12 is formed with a removable tip member 16 having an opening 18 extending therethrough. The tip member may be secured through known fastening means, such as screws received in threaded apertures, to retain the tip member on the housing. The housing and tip member are preferably made of a durable, lightweight plastic.
The tip assembly 22 comprises a shaft 30 that includes a lower portion having a, cutting tip 32 protruding generally downwardly from the shaft. It will be understood that other tips, such as a forming tip may be substituted for a cutting tip. The tip assembly further includes a shaft guide 34, which is likewise preferably cylindrical and defines an aperture therethrough to receive reciprocating shaft 30. The shaft guide 34 is disposed proximate the removable tip 16 of the housing. It will be understood that the shaft guide may be integrally formed with the removable tip member 16.
The drive assembly 20 includes a motor 40 having an output axle such as pin shaft 42, a gear assembly 50 and a retraction means, generally indicated at 70. Motor 40 may be battery or electrically powered and is operably configured to minimize vibration of the housing. Preferably the motor is a 12 DC motor and includes a shaft brake (not shown), which may comprise any means for stopping the rotation of pin shaft 42 quickly after the power is disengaged. For example, the shaft brake could be mechanical, such as a piece of felt or other material pressing on the pin shaft 42, or electrical, such as a high value resistor.
The gear assembly 50 comprises a pinion or drive gear 52, crown gear 54, and a slidable gearbox housing assembly 56. Crown gear 52 includes a gear path 56 along its circumferential edge and an aperture 57 at its center of rotation. Drive gear 52 engages crown gear 48 at its gear path 56 and thereby transfers power thereto. Crown gear 54 further includes an output shaft 58 that is connected to a side surface of crown gear. In a preferred embodiment, the crown gear 54 includes a hub 55 projecting from one of the side surfaces of the gear. Aperture 57 of the crown gear extends through hub 55. The hub is offset from the center of rotation of the crown gear. Crown gear's 54 aperture extends through hub and is concentric with the axis of rotation of the crown gear 52 but not the center of rotation of the hub.
Output shaft 58 includes a collar 59 at one end that is operably configured to be slidably received on the hub 55. At the other end, output shaft 58 includes a yoke 61 for connection to one end of link 24 at connection 27. The shaft 30 of the tip assembly 22 is connected to the gear assembly 50 via link 24 through a ball-in-socket joint 25.
The gearbox housing assembly 60 includes a generally U-shaped housing 62 having a base wall 64 and two legs 66 extending therefrom. The U-shaped housing surrounds both the crown gear 54 and pinion gear 52. The base wall further includes a semi-circular cutout operably configured to fit onto a thrust bearing 80 which will be described in more detail hereinafter. The housing assembly 60 further includes a rod 68 that extends through both legs 66 of the gearbox housing 62 and through the aperture 57 of both the crown gear 54 and the hub 55. The rod 68 further extends externally of each leg of the housing assembly 60. These externally extending portions of the rod are configured to be received in the channels 13 of tool housing 12. As assembled, the channels 13 serve to secure the gearbox housing assembly 60 inside the housing 12 while permitting longitudinal movement of the gearbox assembly 60.
Retraction means 70 comprises a cam 72 that at a proximate end 74 is connected to and rotates with pin shaft 42 and at a distal end 76 is formed with a bore to receive a follower mechanism 77. Cam 72 includes a slot 74 extending transversely across the cam and having a first end 76 and second end 78. The first end 79 of slot 74 is located longitudinally more proximate to the tip of the tool housing than second end 78. The longitudinal distance that first end 79 and second end 78 are separated by is greater than the stroke of the shaft assembly. The stroke of the shaft assembly is defined as twice the distance of the offset of the output shaft 58 from the center of crown gear 54.
The follower mechanism 76 comprises a collar 82 having a pin follower 84, the collar being configured to be rotatably received in the distal end of cam 72. The pin follower 84 is mounted to collar 82 such that it extends transversely therefrom and is operably configured to be received in slot 74. The follower mechanism 76 further includes a shaft (not shown) extending longitudinally from the center of rotation of collar 82, and a flywheel 86 mounted on the shaft. The pinion gear 52 is mounted to the distal end of the shaft and a thrust bearing 80 is rotatably and slidably received on the shaft between the pinion gear and collar.
In operation, when motor 46 is activated, the output shaft 54 drives the cam 72 in a clockwise direction as viewed from the shaft back to the motor. This causes slot 74 to move relative to pin follower 80 of the follower mechanism until the first end 76 of the cam's slot engages the pin follower 80, as shown in
Upon the motor being disengaged, the shaft brake stops the motor and thus output shaft 42 and cam 72. The flywheel's stored kinetic energy continues to drive the follower mechanism 76 and, in particular, collar 82 and pin follower 84. This causes pin follower to travel from first end 79 to the second end 78 of slot 74, which, in turn, pulls the follower mechanism 76 and gear box housing assembly 62 through thrust bearing 80 back toward the motor 40 of the tool assembly, as shown in
It is to be understood that the cutting tool assembly may include one or more tips that each are selectively removable from housing. Each tip performs different and are interchangeably mounteable to the housing.
All of these embodiments of a tool assembly may be used with an underlying board. The board may supply power to the cutting tool and may further be configured with grooves to facilitate cutting certain shapes, such as, for example, circles, spirals anatomical features, wings and fuselage, and moon shapes. The underlying board further is preferably plastic and may include means to secure the paper or other material to the board to secure the material thereon to facilitate the cutting of the material. In one means of securing the material, the underlying board may have an abraded or rough surface to hold the material to enhance the shearing of the material.
The present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments, which are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from its scope.
It will be seen from the foregoing that this invention is one well adapted to attain the ends and objects set forth above, and to attain other advantages, which are obvious and inherent in the device. It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated. It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. Rather, all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not limiting.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/838,741, filed on Aug. 18, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60838741 | Aug 2006 | US |
